J M Wetherington Sr

Isn’t It Time

Posted on July 20, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

One of my favorite songs, Isn’t It Time was released on September 20, 1977 by British rock group The Babys on their album Broken Heart. The song features vocals by John Waite with three awesome female African-American back-up singers who usually performed with gospel performer Andraé Crouch and The Disciples. In my humble opinion this should have been a number one hit, but it only peaked at No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Here’s a video of The Babys performing Isn’t It Time that I believe might have been when they appeared on American Bandstand in late 1977. But keep reading afterward for the whole point of this post.

I don’t usually care for cover versions of favorite songs. I’m sure there are others, but the only one I can think of off the top of my head that I DO like (actually, I prefer it) is Phil Collins’ 1982 version of You Can’t Hurry Love which was originally performed by The Supremes in 1966.

BUT, the other day I was looking around YouTube and came across the video below of an Australian music collective who call themselves The Hindley Street Country Club doing a cover of Isn’t It Time that just blew me away. Mostly because the three female back-up singers (somewhat like those who performed with The Babys) really carry the song to places that the lead singer here just doesn’t. Listen to them and watch as they provide not just the foundation of the song but also build the walls and pitch the roof to make this song the amazing structure that it truly is.

I found myself liking this cover almost as much, if not possibly more sometimes, as the original song. Quite an accomplishment for a group with a guy like myself who usually sticks with the original version of a song.

And, as an extra bonus, here are the lyrics in case you’d like to sing along.

Isn’t It Time
The Babys

Falling in love was the last thing I had on my mind
Holding you is the warmth that I thought I could never find

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, sitting here you’re all alone)
Just trying to decide
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, whether to go on alone)
Or stay by your side
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, then I stop myself because)
I know I could cry
I just can’t find the answers
To the questions that keep going through my mind
Hey babe, isn’t it time?

(Isn’t it time you took time to wait?)
(Falling in love could be your mistake)
Isn’t it time?
(Isn’t it time you took time to wait?)
(Falling in love could be your mistake)

I’ve seen visions of someone like you in my life
A love that’s strong reaching out, holding me through the darkest night

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, sitting here you’re all alone)
Just trying to decide
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, whether to go on alone)
Or stay by your side
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, then I stop myself because)
I don’t want to cry
I just can’t find the answers
To the questions that keep going through my mind
Hey babe, isn’t it time?

(Isn’t it time you took time to wait?)
(Falling in love could be your mistake)
Isn’t it time?
(Maybe it’s time you took time to wait)
(Falling in love could be your mistake)

I feel a warmth in my heart and my soul that I never knew
This love affair gives me strength that I need just to get me through

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, sitting here you’re all alone)
Just wondering why
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, then I stop myself because)
I know I could cry
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, then I think of you)
And everything seems alright
I’ve finally found the answers
To the questions that keep going through my mind
Hey babe, isn’t it time?

(Maybe this time you don’t have to wait)
I know it’s time
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
Ooh yeah, I know it’s time
(Isn’t it time you don’t have to wait?)
It must be time
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
Yeah, it must be time

(Maybe this time you don’t have to wait)
Made up my mind
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
It must be time
(Maybe this time you don’t have to wait)
It must be time
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
(Isn’t it time?)

(Maybe this time you don’t have to wait)
(Don’t have to wait)
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
(Isn’t it time?)
(Maybe this time you don’t have to wait)
(Don’t have to wait)
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
(Isn’t it time?)

(Maybe this time you don’t have to wait)
(Don’t have to wait)
(Losing this love could be your mistake)
(Losing this love)

Posted in Music | Tagged Isn’t It Time, The Babys, The Hindley STreet Country Club | Leave a comment

Trivago Teeth Guy

Posted on July 8, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

When Cindy and I watch OTA TV or stream shows with commercials, we typically mute the sound and ignore what’s on the screen for however long the ad lasts. But there’s definitely one advertiser that draws our eyes back to the screen and that is the Trivago commercials with the big teeth guy. We call him the Trivago Teeth Guy and you probably know who we’re talking about.

Our eyes are drawn to the screen because his mouth full of big, bright, white choppers are almost frightening in their size and brightness. They look too big for his mouth. We wonder if his lips ever meet, or are they destined to forever be separated by those dynamic dental implants? And does he use the brightness to get side jobs as a lighthouse? Maybe as a spotlight for concerts?

Anyway, they seem to be working for him. He keeps getting these commercials and maybe that’s why Trivago keeps bringing him back. Brand identity.

Good for you, Trivago Teeth Guy.

Posted in Television | Leave a comment

Krypto Arrives On Earth

Posted on June 29, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

According to the DC Comics Calendar, today, June 29th, is the day the superdog known as Krypto arrives on Earth.

Cover of Adventure Comics #210 and first appearance of Krypto

Krypto made his first appearance in Adventure Comics #210 (cover dated March, 1955, just 4 months before MY arrival on Earth) when a then-Superboy (Kal-El) discovers a flying dog and pieces together that his childhood pet on Krypton was used as a test subject by his father Jor-El when he was developing a rocket to save his family from Krypton’s impending doom. The rocket was successfully launched but hit a meteor storm and was knocked off course, resulting in it not reaching Earth until Kal-El was a teenager.

In his earlier appearances, Krypto was a cartoonish looking white dog with sometimes almost-human like expressions. Later renditions were more canine in appearance and wore a collar with a cape attached, much like Superboy.

If you check this Superman Fandom entry, you can see Krypto had a varied history through the years. Today, in the James Gunn DC Universe of movies, Krypto actually belongs to Superman’s cousin Supergirl.

But when I read the comic books in reprints as a boy myself, I had a dog and I remember being excited that Superboy finally had a superdog he could play with, and that it was his childhood pet that he was reunited with.

So for me, Krypto will always be Superboy’s dog.

And today will always be the day Krypto arrives on earth.

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Remembering Neal Adams

Posted on June 15, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

Legendary comic book illustrator Neal Adams was born on this date, June 15th, in 1941. Since he was one of my favorite comic book artists (one of four to make my Mt. Rushmore of Comic Book Artists), I wanted to take just a few moments remembering Neal Adams.

During his life Adams was a penciller, inker, writer, editor and publisher; but it was his work as a penciller that I admired. His writing never quite “clicked” with me, and I always felt that Tom Palmer’s inks brought out the best of Adams’ pencils…as opposed to when he inked his own work. I enjoyed the comics books/characters he edited and published, but they never seemed to be able to sustain themselves in the volatile market at the time.

Ms. Mystic and Megalith covers by Neal Adams

Wraparound cover of Superman vs Muhammad Ali by Neal Adams

Adams passed away on April 28, 2022 at the age of 80. But his work has lived on and he will always be regarded as one of the masters of comic book illustration.

Posted in Comic Books | Tagged Neal Adams | Comments Off

Happy Superman Day 2026

Posted on June 12, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

In honor of the world’s greatest superhero EVER, I’d like to wish you all a very Happy Superman Day 2026.

Happy Superman Day! Graphic — Screenshot

Some of you, I’m sure, are thinking, “Wait Jeff, last year you wished us Happy Superman Day on April 18th! Why are you saying it’s on June 12th this year?”

I’m glad you asked.

Wikipedia has the answer for us:

“Superman Day is an annual event organized by DC Entertainment to celebrate and promote Superman.

The first Superman Day was June 12, 2013. It was a date selected by DC Comics and Warner Brothers to celebrate Superman’s 75th Anniversary. The day was chosen to coincide with the release date of “Man of Steel” (movie). Subsequent Superman Days continued to be celebrated on the same day until 2025, when it was celebrated on the actual Superman anniversary, April 18, the day when the first issue of Action Comics, by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was released in 1938. Warner Bros. celebrated the date by releasing several new comics and hosting a special screening of Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie” in the Warner Bros. Studio Lot.”

So you see, last year was an aberration, an anomaly, an exception, if you will.

Today, June 12, 2026 is THE day to celebrate and honor Superman Day.

Happy Superman Day!

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Farewell to Schlitz, The Beer That Got Me Drunk Before I Was Two Years Old

Posted on May 25, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

This past Saturday, Pabst Brewing Company announced that, after 175 years, it was discontinuing production of Schlitz beer.

That touched a chord in me, because I got drunk on Schlitz beer before I was two years old.

My father was a drinker of Schlitz beer for many years. I can recall those bottles-then-cans in our refrigerator at home and in ice chests when we went fishing. Sometime around the mid-1960’s, I think, he switched to Budweiser. But until then he enjoyed his Schlitz.

I remember one of their commercial slogans was, “When you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer!”

I, of course, do not personally remember getting drunk on Schlitz beer before I was two years old. So this tale comes from my mother telling the story over and over throughout my childhood.

As my mom tells it, her mom and dad came over to our house one Saturday or Sunday for a meal when I was around 18-19 months old. While my mom and Nana were in the kitchen preparing the meal, my father and grandfather were seated in the living room with some 6 to 8 feet of space between their chairs watching something on TV, chatting about things and each drinking a bottle of Schlitz.

I was in the living room with my dad and granddad, with my mother’s instructions to my father being, “James, keep an eye on Jeff while we get the food ready.”

As you’ll see, that didn’t exactly happen.

Sometime later, 30 or 45 minutes I was told, my mom came out of the kitchen to place food on the table and spotted her darling baby boy laughing, giggling, and stumbling about in a drunken stupor.

After a few seconds of watching my inebriated behavior my mom raised her voice and said, “James! That boy is drunk!”

Apparently, though neither my father or grandfather recall it, while I was with them I was toddling back and forth between their chairs taking sips out of each of their bottles of beer. And getting happier and happier with each round trip.

Needless to say, my mother was not happy with my father OR her father, but it did provide a funny story to tell later through the years. And now again today.

So farewell to Schlitz (which I can’t recall EVER drinking again after that day) one of my dad’s favorite beers.

Posted in Family | Tagged Schlitz | 1 Comment

Saying Goodbye To Bella

Posted on May 4, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

It was 5 weeks ago today, on Monday, March 30, 2026, that Cindy and I awakened to know we would be saying goodbye to Bella that day. It was one of the worst days of our lives.

Even with everything the veterinarian did and prescribed for her during our visit to his office on the previous Saturday, Bella’s condition continued to deteriorate. He had told us that her kidney failure had progressed to stage 4 and though she MIGHT last a few more weeks or a month, it would probably not be long before she succumbed to its ravages. We held out hope, but sadly watched her condition decline more and more over the weekend.

By Monday morning Bella had still not eaten or had a bowel movement (two of the things that caused us to take her to the vet’s office on Saturday) and simply refused to go for a walk with Cindy. She was also losing her footing in her back legs and stumbling, a sign we had been told would signal the end of any quality of life for our sweet, sweet girl.

Back when she was first diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure in March of 2024 during our stay in Austin, Texas, the vet there said we could not expect her to be with us for more than 2 months. Cindy and I vowed then that, as painful as it might be to us, we would not let Bella suffer. That never changed, but we have been thankful every day for the past 2 years of the unexpected and extra time we have had to spend with our furry family member.

We took a final photo of the three of us together, in front of Nomad, as we had been for the past 4 1/2 years while we traveled around the country. Cindy and I were trying not to sob in front of our girl, but it was almost impossible. Bella had been a part of our lives for 13 days shy of 15 years on that day, and our constant companion in the RV since my retirement.

During the 30-minute drive to the vet’s office we continued to try and not weep as she took her last trip with us, lying in her bed in the back seat as she had for so many years. But the sense of impending loss was so overwhelming that we had to keep wiping tears from our eyes and trying not to sob with sadness. Bella has always been attuned to our emotions, feelings and moods. We did not want her last memories of us to be sad ones, but it was SO hard.

We arrived at the vet’s office and they could tell by our faces that we were there to say goodbye.

They took us to a room off to the side and a very nice nurse came in and said she was so sorry. We went over what would happen; that she would give Bella an injection to sedate her and she would go into a deep sleep, then the vet would give an injection to stop her heart and Bella would never feel a thing and her pain would be over. Sadly, we already knew all that from having to do the same thing with Tigger a couple of years ago. Then she left to get a blanket for us to use on the floor. We just kept telling Bella how much we loved her while petting and hugging her. The nurse came back with the blanket and gave some treats to Bella and told us to take all the time we needed, and we needed it.

After several minutes the nurse returned and we told her we were as ready as we could be. We weren’t, not at all, however we couldn’t let Bella suffer any longer. But you’re never really ready to say goodbye. The nurse said she would be right back with the first injection.

The nurse returned and Bella pressed herself against my legs as the nurse gave her the injection. We spread out the blanket on the floor and Bella very quickly laid down on her right side as the sedative took effect. I laid down next to her with my chest against her back and my head by her ears, stroking her head and whispering to her how much we loved her and what a good girl she had always been. Cindy sat by her back legs, rubbing her legs and paws and telling her how she was the best girl ever. We were still trying not to cry, wanting to send her off on her next journey with all the love and good feelings that we could.

The vet came in and he was so kind. He said he knew how hard this was and how much we loved Bella. Then he gave her the final injection as we continued to pet, stroke and whisper to Bella.

While we laid there next to her on the floor it felt, to me, like something else was happening.

In my mind, Bella was standing between Cindy and I as we stood on each side of her, our hands petting her head. It was dark around us but in front of us was a heavy fog and through the lower portion of the fog we could see the beginnings of a footbridge glowing. Cindy and I were telling Bella that it was time and she took one step forward, then stopped and looked up at both of us as if to say, “Aren’t you coming too?”

“It’s not our time yet” I said, “but it’s ok for you to go. We love you so much!”

“We’ll be along later good girl” said Cindy, “you go find Tigger to play like you used to, and look around for Wolfie too. We will always love you!”

(Bella had come to us months after Wolfie’s passing, so she never met him. But it was funny; at the cabin Bella would never go near the spot in the kitchen where Wolfie had passed away. She would walk around it but never walk through the spot, as if she knew.)

The vet put his stethoscope on her chest, right next to where my left hand was as I laid next to her with my arm around her…

Bella turned her head to look at each of us one more time with those beautiful brown eyes of hers that always held so much love, then stepped forward onto the bridge and we watched her disappear into the fog.

“…She’s at peace” I heard him say as my hand felt her heart stop beating.

And Cindy and I could not hold back our tears any longer.

The nurse and vet told us to take all the time we needed as they left the room. We hugged and petted and stroked sweet Bella as our tears fell onto her fur.

She was the best girl ever!

Posted in Family | Tagged Bella | 2 Comments

Remembering Bella

Posted on March 30, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

We had to say goodbye to this sweet girl today, and we’re heartbroken. She was a vital part of our family for 13 days shy of 15 years. Love and hug your furry family members. It goes so fast.

We’ve known this day was coming. That hasn’t made it any easier, but it has helped us prepare. We were told she would not be with us much longer 2 years ago this month. We’re immensely grateful that we got more time with her than we expected.

Our beautiful girl left us to go be part of everything while our loving arms were wrapped around her frail body. She was a miraculous creature and she had a good life with us. We’re proud of that. Not letting them suffer is the last act of love you can do for them.

Bella crossed the bridge peacefully on March 30, 2026.

[Show as slideshow]

Posted in Family | 1 Comment

Why Do We Have Two Nostrils?

Posted on March 24, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

Have you ever wondered why do we have two nostrils?

This article from Popular Science explains why.

View of two nostrils on a nose. — Screenshot

Posted in Health | Comments Off

Jimmy Fallon Serenades Stephen Colbert

Posted on March 23, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

Cindy and I were watching The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a couple of weeks ago and he had Jimmy Fallon on as a guest. It’s easy to see that these two, as well as most of the other late night talk show hosts, are friends. At the end of the interview Jimmy serenades Stephen to the tune of “My Way” and Cindy and I were cracking up, but also a little sad.

Maybe, if you haven’t seen it yet, you might have a similar reaction too.

The link below is to the entire extended interview, but if you want you can skip to the 11:40 mark to see and hear just the song.

Posted in Television | Tagged Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Comments Off